Emerging Markets Payments (EMP) began the year with yet another landmark achievement. Africa and the Middle East’s leading electronic payments processing company recently announced that its Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance certification has been renewed for the sixth consecutive year. PCI DSS is the global card industry’s highest data security standard. The certification was granted across EMP’s processing centers in Amman, Cairo and Lagos by Trustwave, an accredited assessment body authorized by the PCI Security Standards Council. The council is an open global forum, launched in 2006, and is responsible for development, management, education and awareness of the PCI Security Standards.

“At EMP, we are dedicated to offering secure payment card processing solutions in line with international standards,” said Paul Edwards, Chairman of EMP. “EMP was first certified in 2008 and through our membership of the PCI organization, we adhere strictly to the latest payment card security standards of the Council. In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on the systems operated by banks, retailers and other companies, compliance with PCI DSS is an organization’s best protection against data criminals. We are committed to applying PCI DSS standards to best secure our expanding processing network.”

With a growing number of consumers using electronic payment cards in the region, EMP is committed to providing the most efficient, secure, and accurate smart card processing services. More than 10 years ago, EMP was the first processing company to introduce cutting-edge EMV chip-and-pin technology to Africa, making the African payments industry more secure than in other parts of the world. America, notably, has yet to catch up. Moreover, the company is constantly endeavoring to expand its range of cutting-edge, innovative solutions to best accommodate the fast growing payments industry in the region. EMP is currently partner to over 130 banks across 45 countries in MEA.